Canadian pop star Justin Bieber was arrested in Miami Beach early today and charged with driving under the influence and resisting arrest without violence after police said he had been stopped while “drag racing” down a street before dawn.

Under Florida law, people under the age of 21 are considered driving under the influence if they have a blood-alcohol content of 0.02 or more — a level the 5-foot-9, 140-pound star could reach with one drink.

For a first DUI offence, there is no minimum jail sentence and a maximum of six months, a fine of $250 to $500, and 50 hours of community service — which he would have to serve in the state of Florida. For anyone under 21, there is an automatic six-month licence suspension — which would take effect no matter where in the U.S. the pop star travelled.

A Miami-Dade County judge set Bieber’s bond at $2,500 on Thursday afternoon.

Bieber had been held at the Miami Beach police station and then Miami-Dade county jail since his arrest. The court appearance was conducted by video soon after 1 p.m. ET.

Bieber was nabbed and taken into custody soon after 4 a.m. ET Thursday, police said.

Run-ins with the law

Bieber, who was born in London, Ont., raised in nearby Stratford, but now lives in the Los Angeles area, has had several incidents with law enforcement officials in the past month. In Miami, he was accused of racing a rented, yellow Lamborghini alongside a red Ferrari driven by a friend identified as rhythm and blues singer Khalil.

Khalil, whose full name is Khalil Amir Sharieff, was also arrested and charged with driving under the influence. His bond was set at $1,000.

At a morning news conference, Miami Beach police Chief Raymond Martinez said Bieber was “a little belligerent, questioning, using some choice words, why he had been stopped.”

Martinez said Bieber was tested, and acknowledged that he been smoking marijuana and drinking beer, and had taken a prescription medicine. The chief said he didn’t know the nature of the prescription drug. He also said Bieber was using an invalid Georgia driver’s licence.

Bieber’s blood-alcohol levels weren’t released.

Co-operative at station

The racing consisted of going from a standing start on Pine Tree Drive — a residential area where the speed limit is 50 km/h — to approximately 100 km/h, Martinez said.

“Once he was here at the station, he was very co-operative,” Martinez said. “We did not have any issues with him.”

The arresting officer’s statement, released at about 11 a.m., said Bieber was directed to get out of the Lamborghini once the officer saw his bloodshot eyes and smelled alcohol. Bieber said to him: “Why the f–k are you doing this?”

Once Bieber got out of the car, the officer asked him to put his hands on the vehicle and keep his hands out of his pockets.

“Fearing that the driver might have a weapon or contraband, I asked the driver to place his hands on his vehicle in order to facilitate a cursory pat down for weapons,” the statement says.

Bieber responded: “What the f–k did I do, why did you stop me?”

The pop star was asked again to put his hands on the car. Bieber complied, but soon removed them and turned to face the officer.

Bieber is quoted as then saying: “I ain’t got no f—ing weapons. Why do you have to search me? What the f–k is this about?”

After Bieber had three times failed to keep his hands on the car, the officer took his right hand and put him under arrest. Bieber tried to pull away, but was then taken into custody “with no further incident,” the statement says.

The officer gave Bieber a standardized field sobriety test on a flat, well-lit surface. Bieber “did not perform to standards,” the officer’s statement says.

Bieber had been in the Miami area for a few days and had reportedly been visiting a club on Lincoln Road on Wednesday night.

Earlier reports indicated the musician’s entourage had used their cars to block traffic on Pine Tree Drive at 26th Street, creating a “drag strip” for Bieber.

Open question of deportation
It’s not clear whether he will be deported as a result of this incident. According to U.S. federal law a conviction is not always required.

The Immigration and Nationality Act says any non-U.S. citizen convicted of — or who admits to committing — an act related to a controlled substance — is inadmissible into the country.

According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection “a single DUI conviction is not grounds to deny entry into the U.S; however, multiple DUI convictions or a DUI conviction in combination with other misdemeanour offences can make a person inadmissible and require a waiver prior to entering the United States. A crime of moral turpitude (CIMT) may be grounds to deny entry to the U.S.”

Bieber is currently under investigation in a felony vandalism case after a neighbour reported the pop star threw eggs at his house and caused thousands of dollars of damage.

His arrest in Miami is unlikely to affect the egg-throwing investigation, however, should he be found guilty of vandalism, added to the charges of driving under the influence and resisting arrest, it could put him at risk of being deported.

Nearly a dozen detectives searched Bieber’s home last week for video surveillance and other evidence that could be used to pursue a vandalism charge.

Bieber is also being sued by a former bodyguard who says the singer repeatedly berated him, hit him in the chest and owes him more than $420,000 in overtime and other wages. The case is scheduled to go to trial in Los Angeles next month.

Bad January

On Jan. 4, detectives from the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department found drugs and arrested an associate of the singer during the search of Bieber’s home.

Police noted that Bieber, his security and entourage co-operated fully with the search, but did not make an official statement.

Bieber lives in a gated community in Calabasas, a celebrity enclave northwest of downtown L.A.

Last October, prosecutors declined to charge Bieber after a neighbour complained he drove recklessly through the area.

In November 2012, prosecutors also declined to charge Bieber when the singer was accused of punching and hitting a man after leaving a Calabasas movie theatre.

Less than a week before Lamar Odom‘s DUI arrest early Friday, the NBA veteran was involved in a three-car collision on the same freeway.

The crash was not reported to authorities, but Los Angeles Times reporter Adolfo Flores said his car was rear-ended by another vehicle hit by Odom’s white Mercedes on Saturday. The incident occurred about 6 p.m. near the Gower Street exit on the southbound side of the 101 Freeway, Flores said.

Flores said he got out of his car after the crash to exchange insurance information with the other drivers. When he asked Odom for his information, he said, the 6-foot-10 forward — who most recently played with the Clippers and is now a free agent — asked why he needed it. Flores said he told Odom he needed the information because they were in a car accident, to which Odom replied: “It doesn’t even look that bad.”

Flores said his car and the car in the middle of the chain-reaction accident sustained moderate damage to their bumpers. Odom’s car had damage near its driver’s side headlight, Flores said, but it was not clear if the damage was from Saturday’s accident.

After Flores finished obtaining information from Odom’s insurance form, he said he tried to hand it back to the basketball player three times, but he wouldn’t take it. Flores said he then asked if Odom wanted him to keep the document.

“No, I need it to drive,” Odom said, before finally taking the form, Flores recalled.

After exchanging their information, the three drivers went on their separate ways. The third driver could not be reached for comment.

CHP officials said Odom was in a white Mercedes sports utility vehicle eastbound on the 101 near Sepulveda Boulevard just before 4 a.m. when he was spotted driving below freeway speeds, at about 50 mph.

A CHP report notes that Odom was driving in a “serpentine manner.” He showed signs of being under the influence of either drugs or alcohol and failed a field sobriety test, according to the CHP.

At the Van Nuys jail, Odom refused all chemical tests and was booked without incident, Tang said. Because Odom refused the chemical test, Tang said, his driver’s license will be suspended for a year.

“He did the one thing you should never not do: refuse the chemical tests,” Tang said.

Drivers suspected of DUI may refuse to take tests in the field, but once they are at a police station, they are required to take a chemical test. If they refuse, they lose their driving privileges for a year.

By obtaining a California driver’s license, drivers consent to have their breath, blood or urine tested if they are arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. A driver does “not have a right” to consult a lawyer beforehand, according to the California Department of Motor Vehicles.

“If you refuse to submit to any of the tests, your driving privilege may be suspended because of your refusal,” according to the department’s handbook. It adds: “Even if you change your mind later and agree to a test, and your BAC [blood alcohol content] measures 0.01% or higher … your driving privileges may be suspended for both reasons.”

Odom was released Friday morning after spending about 3½ hours in jail.

An inventory of Odom’s SUV revealed no drugs, alcohol or other contraband, Tang added.

Odom has made headlines in recent weeks for alleged drug use, including reports last weekend that he was missing after a fight with his wife, Khloe Kardashian Odom.

His agent told ESPN that the basketball player was “not missing,” and a source told the outlet that Odom was at a Los Angeles hotel as friends tried to help him with a drug problem.

Kardashian Odom tweeted about the reports, saying it was “really hard to sit here and listen to people talk … about my family.”

If convicted of DUI, Odom would be required to submit to a mandatory evaluation by the director of the NBA’s anti-drug program, according to terms of the league’s collective bargaining agreement

Bobby Brown has been sentenced to 55 days in a Los Angeles jail and four years of probation for a drunken driving case.

City attorney’s spokesman Frank Mateljan says Brown was sentenced Tuesday after pleading no contest to charges he was under the influence and driving on a suspended license when he was arrested in October.

Brown was on probation for another DUI case at the time.

The 44-year-old “New Edition” singer was ordered to report to jail March 20. He also was placed on four years of informal probation and will be required to complete an 18-month alcohol treatment program.

Brown’s attorney Tiffany Feder had no immediate comment on the sentence.

Bobby Brown was just arrested for DUI … for the second time this year. Law enforcement sources tell us, Brown was pulled over around 1AM on Oct. 24, 2012 when police observed the singer driving erratically on an L.A. street. According to law enforcement sources, officers approached Brown’s vehicle and detected a strong odor of alcohol — at which point they asked Brown to get out of his car. We’re told Brown performed a field sobriety test, but didn’t do very well — so he was arrested on suspicion of DUI. He’s currently being booked. Brown was previously arrested for DUI in March and sought treatment for alcohol abuse issues over the summer. He also has a DUI conviction on his record from 1996.